Manchester City’s long journey to London ends in a victory in front of a lively and loud crowd swarmed with Arsenal support.
The sun was shining at Meadow Park, ready for the FA Cup matchup that’ll knock a top WSL side out of the competition. Fans can always expect drama in a game between these two sides and this was no different. With impressive saves from both keepers and some tough decisions for the referee in the penalty area, the game was packed with controversy that brought plenty of excitement to the eager fans. Both teams came out fighting, but it was Manchester City that secured a victory and a place in the next round.
Neither side dominated the first 15 minutes and both teams had chances to start the game in the best way possible, but the ball didn’t reach the back of the net at either end of the pitch. Arsenal’s first major chance came from Caitlin Foord who noticed an opening in City’s defensive line, but Khiara Keating was quick off her line to ensure her team stayed level with the Gunners.
Bunny Shaw also tested the defensive line of the home side with two darting headers at D’Angelo, but the Canadian goalkeeper impressively kept Jonas Eidevall’s team level.
Eidevall is soon to lose Canadians D’Angelo and Cloe Lacasse, along with American Emily Fox as they head to represent their national team in the Gold Cup. Fox has been a consistent starter for Arsenal since she joined the club in the January window so this could be a big loss for the team as they are set to face London City Lionesses in the Continental Cup, and Manchester United in the WSL in the forthcoming weeks.
Australian youngster Kyra Cooney-Cross started today’s fixture for the home side and once again was impressive on and off the ball. Arsenal’s 32 has been called up to represent her country, Australia, as the Matilda’s hope for a space in the Olympics in the summer. These matches are to be played in the February international window.
It seemed Arsenal were looking to close down City midfielder Yui Hasegawa and ultimately, this seemed successful. Frida Maanum was rarely spotted away from her and consistently prevented her from progressing with the ball.
A match between these two sides brings a battle or arguably some of the best wingers in the WSL. Katie McCabe and Lauren Hemp love a physical battle on the pitch, and this didn’t go unnoticed today. The pair both had chances themselves and were consistently striking testing crosses into the six-yard box.
Both teams dominated during different times in the first 45 minutes, it would be difficult to justify which side performed best before half time considering neither side managed to score a goal. The teams went into the break completely even and all to play for in the second half.
A big 45 minutes was ahead for the two WSL sides and initially, Arsenal seemed to be the team looking to make a mark on the scoresheet. The Gunners had several chances coming primarily from Victoria Pelova, within the first 10 minutes of the second half and it appeared as if the home side had found energy to try and take the game into their own hands.
Two incredible chances from Manchester City in the 62’ minute but the away side were unfortunate to not find the back of the net. An impressive save from Sabrina D’Angelo and a goal-line clearance from Leah Williamson to keep the Gunners level.
The intensity and physicality of the game continued as Lotte Wubben-Moy successfully kept Bunny Shaw from scoring from continuous set pieces that Chloe Kelly fired into the box. Wubben-Moy put out a firm challenge to prevent Shaw from scoring and in quick succession, Gareth Taylor took Shaw off the field.
Taylor was questioned post-match whether his reason for substituting his top goal scorer was because of this challenge but rather he stated how, ‘Bunny has just been nursing a bit of a calf strain, but fair play to her she really wanted to play in this game today and put herself out there.’
Another Australian international, Mary Fowler, entered the field to replace Shaw in the 67’ minute. Fowler hadn’t been on the pitch for 10 minutes when she assisted Laia Aleixandri in scoring City’s winning goal in the 74’ minute.
The final 15 minutes of normal time became scrappy as Arsenal searched for an equaliser so the team could continue their hopeful run to Wembley for the final. Young England international Khiara Keating kept her team firmly in during this time of high pressure. Two outstanding saves within 5 minutes in a crowded box, just showing off her sublime quality at only 19 years old.
In extra time the Gunners still dominated but had nothing to show for it. The intensity and fight from the players placed four players in referee Stacy Pearson’s book but the home side’s fight ended in heartbreak as they crashed out of the FA Cup in the fifth round for the second season running.
Speaking with Jonas Eidevall post-match he discussed his choices in starting players like Maanum and Cooney-Cross who have typically been used as substitutes for his side: ‘A lot of the decisions in how we made the team was to be good around the ball and play out of the really intense pressure that Manchester City have got and built during the game.’
Eidevall also gave his view on the controversy around Arsenal’s possible goal in the final minutes, a decision that didn’t go his sides’ way: ‘Right now I’m very disappointed with it. Like you say, with the margins in the end, if the ball is over the line or not, if that’s a penalty or not…those are difficult decisions to deal with right now. Our job here now is to control what we can control.’
Arguably the happier manager of the afternoon, Gareth Taylor, expressed how difficult it was to be victorious against Arsenal: ‘It was such a tough game and has probably come quite early in the competition… I said in the press the other day, but it probably felt more like a semi-final or a final. It was a tough game for us no doubt… the second half was difficult. I have to give credit to Arsenal, they were good, probably better than us at maintaining possession in the middle part of the pitch.’
The City manager also had plenty of praise for Keating as she ‘got redemption’ from their previous visit to Arsenal this season, in the WSL, where she conceded a goal at the tail end of the game. ‘She’s been preparing herself all week she’s been telling me, for this. I don’t know what that looks like. Obviously, people have been hurling abuse at her, but she handled it really well today. Arsenal make it a cauldron here, the fans do get behind them and they keep going, they don’t stop.’
City makes it through to the next round of the FA cup which is to be drawn on Monday 12th February.
Arsenal next face London City Lionesses in a midweek fixture in the Continental Cup after it was postponed the previous week. Following on from that, they are set to face Manchester United in an almost sold-out Emirates Stadium. Away side Manchester City secured their place in the next round of the Continental Cup last week after they beat Tottenham. They visit WSL leaders, Chelsea, for their last WSL fixture before the international break.
LINEUPS:
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): D’Angelo, Fox, Williamson (Codina 77’), Wubben-Moy, McCabe (Catley 66’), Cooney-Cross (Walti 77’), Maanum (Little 83’), Pelova, Mead, Foord, Russo (Blackstenius 66’)
Subs: Zinsberger, Lacasse, Williams
MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Keating, Aleixandri, Caparij, Greenwood, Ouahabi, Park (Angeldahl 86’), Hasegawa (Kennedy 90+3’), Coombs, Kelly, Shaw (Fowler 67’), Hemp
Subs: Stokes, Morgan, MacIver, Mace
Scorers: Aleixandri 73’
Referee: Stacey Pearson
Attendance: 3,496
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